Featured Poet ~ Fall/Winter 2018
Born Bristol U.K
Poems have appeared in The Journal, Osiris, The Dawntreader, The Stray Branch, Prole, Ink, Sweat, and Tears, Algebra of Owls, in 2015 I won the erbacce prize for poetry with my first full collection Dystopia 38.10 (erbacce-press) and in 2016 won the Into the Void Poetry Prize with my poem Elegy for Magdalene.
The Spaces Left Bare
The only human figures to pass on these walls
are the shadows in opposing rooms
those reflections during the summer months
bounce from the ceiling like ghosts dressed in black suits.
Air is stale and needs recycling
windows gleam with no visible fingerprints,
immaculate laminated tiles – underfloor heating
the spaces are left bare. Where beneath the plush gothic balcony
a homeless man sleeps in the open air,
at night the room lights up for no one
then fades as dusk wakes the clock;
where guests will never reserve or stay.
To view more from Matt pick up a copy of the Fall/Winter 2018 issue